Life raft canopy with spring wire frame

ABSTRACT

A life raft may include a base comprising a first side and a second side, and a self-supporting, collapsible spring canopy. The canopy may include a spring wire frame, a first panel circumscribed by the spring wire frame, and a second panel circumscribed by the spring wire frame. A method of manufacturing a life raft arrangement includes folding the canopy, inserting the canopy into a storage pouch, and coupling the storage pouch to a life raft.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of, and claims priority to, and thebenefit of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/509,383, filed on Jul.11, 2019, and entitled “LIFE RAFT CANOPY WITH SPRING WIRE FRAME” whichis incorporated by reference herein in its entirety for all purposes.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to aircraft evacuation assemblies, andmore specifically to a life raft canopy.

BACKGROUND

In the event of an emergency water landing, aircraft typically have oneor more life rafts that can be deployed to hold evacuated passengers.Conventional rafts may be either deployed in a specific orientation toprevent inflation in an inverted position or may be able to be manuallyrighted after an inverted deployment.

SUMMARY

A life raft arrangement is disclosed, comprising a base comprising afirst side and a second side, and a canopy comprising a spring wireframe forming a first loop and a second loop, the first loop of thespring wire frame circumscribing a first panel of the canopy and thesecond loop of the spring wire frame circumscribing a second panel ofthe canopy, wherein the canopy is self-supported via the spring wireframe.

In various embodiments, the base comprises an inflatable border tubedefining an inflatable volume.

In various embodiments, the spring wire frame intersects itself at anapex of the canopy.

In various embodiments, the spring wire frame is formed into a figureeight.

In various embodiments, the spring wire frame is disposed in a sleeve.

In various embodiments, the canopy further comprises a third panelextending between the first loop and the second loop.

In various embodiments, the canopy is removably coupled to the base.

In various embodiments, the canopy is removably coupled to theinflatable border tube.

In various embodiments, the life raft arrangement further comprises astorage pouch configured to contain the canopy.

In various embodiments, the storage pouch is configured for use as areceptacle for removing water from a life raft.

A life raft arrangement is disclosed, comprising a base comprising afirst side and a second side, and a self-supporting, collapsible springcanopy, comprising a spring wire frame, a first panel circumscribed bythe spring wire frame, and a second panel circumscribed by the springwire frame.

In various embodiments, the base comprises an inflatable border tubedefining an inflatable volume.

In various embodiments, the spring wire frame intersects itself at anapex of the canopy.

In various embodiments, the spring wire frame is formed into a figureeight.

In various embodiments, the spring wire frame is disposed in a sleeve.

In various embodiments, the canopy further comprises a third panelextending between the first panel and the second panel.

In various embodiments, the canopy is removably coupled to theinflatable border tube.

In various embodiments, the life raft arrangement further comprises astorage pouch configured to contain the canopy, wherein the storagepouch is configured for use as a receptacle for removing water from alife raft.

A method of manufacturing a life raft arrangement is disclosed,comprising folding a canopy, inserting the canopy into a storage pouch,and coupling the storage pouch to a life raft, wherein the canopycomprises a spring wire frame forming a first loop and a second loop,the first loop of the spring wire frame circumscribing a first panel ofthe canopy and the second loop of the spring wire frame circumscribing asecond panel of the canopy.

In various embodiments, the canopy is self-supported via the spring wireframe.

The foregoing features and elements may be combined in variouscombinations without exclusivity, unless expressly indicated hereinotherwise. These features and elements as well as the operation of thedisclosed embodiments will become more apparent in light of thefollowing description and accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a life raft with a self-supporting,spring canopy stored in a storage bag coupled to the life raft, inaccordance with various embodiments;

FIG. 2A is a perspective view of a life raft with the self-supporting,spring canopy in a deployed position, in accordance with variousembodiments;

FIG. 2B is a perspective view of a life raft with the self-supporting,spring canopy in a deployed position, looking from the oppositedirection than the view of FIG. 2A and with a third panel in an openposition, in accordance with various embodiments;

FIG. 3 is a cross-section view of a spring wire frame installed in acanopy, in accordance with various embodiments;

FIG. 4 is a perspective views of a snap buckle, in accordance withvarious embodiments;

FIG. 5 is a schematic flow chart diagram of a method of manufacturing alife raft arrangement, in accordance with various embodiments;

FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B are schematic views of the storage pouch of FIG. 1being used as a receptacle for removing water from the life raft, inaccordance with various embodiments; and

FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B are perspective views of the life raft of FIG. 2Awith the self-supporting, spring canopy removably coupled to the firstside and the second side, respectively, of the base via removableattachment mechanisms, in accordance with various embodiments.

The subject matter of the present disclosure is particularly pointed outand distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of the specification. Amore complete understanding of the present disclosure, however, may bestbe obtained by referring to the detailed description and claims whenconsidered in connection with the drawing figures, wherein like numeralsdenote like elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The detailed description of exemplary embodiments herein makes referenceto the accompanying drawings, which show exemplary embodiments by way ofillustration. While these exemplary embodiments are described insufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice thedisclosures, it should be understood that other embodiments may berealized and that logical changes and adaptations in design andconstruction may be made in accordance with this disclosure and theteachings herein. Thus, the detailed description herein is presented forpurposes of illustration only and not of limitation. Throughout thepresent disclosure, like reference numbers denote like elements.Accordingly, elements with like element numbering may be shown in thefigures but may not be necessarily be repeated herein for the sake ofclarity.

In the event of an emergency water landing, aircraft typically have oneor more life rafts that can be deployed to hold evacuated passengers. Invarious embodiments, and with reference to FIG. 1, the presentdisclosure provides a life raft 100 that includes a canopy 150 (alsoreferred to herein as a self-supporting, collapsible spring canopy) thatcan be stored away when not in use and readily erected when desired.That is, in various embodiments, the canopy 150 may be moved between anopen or expanded position, such as is shown in FIG. 2A, or a foldedposition (see FIG. 1), in which canopy 150 is collapsed into a sizewhich is much smaller than its open position, as described in greaterdetail below. Accordingly, the life raft 100 may be utilized anddeployed without stand-alone canopy support structure on both sides ofthe life raft, thereby decreasing the complexity of the life raft,decreasing the weight of the life raft, and decreasing the cost of thelife raft, according to various embodiments. A canopy, as disclosedherein, may include a plurality of panels for added protection from theelements and further increases structural rigidity of the canopy forwind resistance.

In various embodiments, and with reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2A, liferaft 100 generally includes a base 110, and the canopy 150. The base 110has a first side 111 and a second side 112 opposite the first side 111.In various embodiments, the first side 111 or the second side 112 of thebase 110 of the life raft 100 may be a top surface of the life raft 100upon which passengers are supported in response to the life raft 100being deployed in water. That is, the base 110 of the life raft 100 maybe inflatable, and the base 110 may include one or more inflatableborder tubes 114. The inflatable border tube 114 may provide buoyancy tothe life raft 100. The inflatable border tube 114 may circumscribe thefirst side 111 of the base 110. The inflatable border tube 114 maycircumscribe the second side 112 of the base 110.

In various embodiments, and with continued reference to FIG. 1, theinflatable border tube 114 of the base 110 defines an inflatable volume.In various embodiments, the life raft 100 may include a charge cylinder140 coupled to the inflatable border tube 114. The charge cylinder 140may be configured to deliver air and/or other fluid into the inflatableborder tube 114.

In various embodiments, life raft 100 may generally comprise a hexagonalshape. That is, inflatable border tube 114 may define a hexagonal shape.However, life raft 100 may generally comprise a circular shape, arectangular shape, a pentagonal shape, an octagonal shape, a nonagonalshape, or a decagonal shape, among others.

In various embodiments, life raft 100 may include a floor 116circumscribed by the inflatable border tube 114. The floor 116 may besupported by inflatable border tube 114. Life raft 100 may be made froma fabric material, a plastic material, or a composite material, amongothers. For example, inflatable border tube 114 and/or floor 116 may bemade from nylon or a nylon material coated with a thermoplasticmaterial, among others.

In various embodiments, life raft 100 may include a storage pouch 130.With combined reference to FIG. 1, FIG. 2A, and FIG. 3 canopy 150 may becontained within storage pouch 130 until the canopy 150 is deployed. Invarious embodiments, storage pouch 130 is configured for use as areceptacle (see FIG. 6A) for removing water from the life raft 100 (seeFIG. 6B) when canopy 150 is removed therefrom. For reversible liferafts, attachment provisions may be installed to permit the canopy 150to be installed on either side of the life raft (e.g., see FIG. 4, FIG.7A, and FIG. 7B). Canopy 150 may be folded into a collapsed position forstorage and may be unfolded into an erect or deployed position for useas a canopy.

Canopy 150 may comprise a plurality of panels 160 (e.g., first panel 160a, second panel 160 b, and third panel 160 c). One or more panels 160may have a peripheral edge 52 that is defined by a peripheral frameretaining sleeve 54. A spring wire frame 56 is retained or held withinthe frame retaining sleeve 54 such that the spring wire frame 56 extendscompletely around the peripheral edge 52. In various embodiments, springwire frame 56 is in the form of a “figure eight” when in the erectposition. As used herein, the term “figure eight” may refer to the shapeof the Arabic numeral “8.” Stated differently, the term “figure eight”may refer to a figure or form composed of two loops formed by acontinuous line crossing itself. In various embodiments, spring wireframe 56 forms a first loop 171 and a second loop 172. Spring wire frame56 may intersect itself at an apex 190 of the canopy 150. The first loop171 of the spring wire frame 56 may circumscribe the first panel 160 aand the second loop 172 of the spring wire frame 56 may circumscribe thesecond panel 160 b. The third panel 160 c may extend between first loop171 and second loop 172. Stated differently, third panel 160 c mayextend between first panel 160 a and second panel 160 b. In this regard,first loop 171 may define a first side of third panel 160 c and secondloop 172 may define a second, opposing side of third panel 160 c. Thecanopy 150 is self-supported via spring wire frame 56. In variousembodiments, one or more panels may comprise portions that are moveablebetween open and closed positions. For example, the illustratedembodiment of FIG. 2A shows third panel 160 c having a zip fastener 168in a closed position. With reference to FIG. 2B, a view of canopy 150looking from the opposite direction of FIG. 2A is illustrated with zipfastener 168 in an open position, in accordance with variousembodiments. It is contemplated herein that other types of fasteners maybe used in place, or in addition to, the zip fastener 168, includingtoggle fasteners, hook and loop fasteners, or the like. With respect toFIG. 2B, elements with like element numbering, as depicted in FIG. 2A,are intended to be the same and will not necessarily be repeated for thesake of clarity.

The spring wire frame 56 may be provided as one continuous loop, or maybe a strip of material connected at both ends to form a continuous loop.The spring wire frame 56 may be formed of flexible coilable steel,although other materials such as plastics may also be used. The springwire frame 56 should be made of a material which is relatively strongand yet is flexible to a sufficient degree to allow it to be coiled.Thus, the spring wire frame 56 is capable of assuming two positions, anopen or expanded position such as shown in FIG. 2A, or a folded position(see FIG. 1) in which the frame member is collapsed into a size which ismuch smaller than its open position. For example, a canopy of dimensions65″×59″×43.5″ (L×W×H) may fold down to 17.7″×1.2″ (Diameter×Height). Thespring wire frame 56 may be merely retained within the frame retainingsleeve 54 without being connected thereto. In various embodiments, theframe retaining sleeve 54 may be mechanically fastened, stitched, fused,or glued to the spring wire frame 56 to retain the spring wire frame 56in position.

A sheet material 60 extends within the internal space defined by theframe retaining sleeve 54, and is held taut by the spring wire frame 56when the spring wire frame 56 is in its open position. The term “sheetmaterial” should be made from strong, flexible yet lightweight materialsand may include woven fabrics, sheet fabrics, meshed fabrics, nylons oreven films. The sheet material 60 can be water-resistant and durable towithstand the wear and tear associated with harsh weather environments,and rough treatment by users. The sheet material 60 is attached to theframe retaining sleeve 54, which may be formed by folding a piece offabric and applying a stitching 76.

In various embodiments, each panel 160 may have a generally triangularconfiguration. First panel 160 a and second panel 160 b may have a baseedge 62 and 64, respectively. Each base edge 62, 64 may be removablyattached to inflatable border tube 114. FIG. 7A illustrates each baseedge 62, 64 removably attached to the first side 111 of inflatableborder tube 114 via a plurality of removable attachment mechanisms 170.FIG. 7B illustrates each base edge 62, 64 removably attached to thesecond side 112 of inflatable border tube 114 via the plurality ofremovable attachment mechanisms 170. For example, FIG. 4 illustrates theuse of a snap buckle 70 to removably connect the base edges 62, 64 tothe inflatable border tube 114. The removable connection between thebase edges 62, 64 and inflatable border tube 114 can also beaccomplished by other known removable attachment mechanisms, such as butnot limited to hook and loop fasteners, hooks, toggles and latches. Withrespect to FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B, elements with like element numbering, asdepicted in FIG. 2A, are intended to be the same and will notnecessarily be repeated for the sake of clarity.

With reference to FIG. 5, a method 500 for manufacturing a life raftarrangement may include folding a canopy (step 502). Method 500 mayinclude inserting the canopy into a storage pouch (step 504). Method 500may include coupling the storage pouch to the life raft (step 506).

With combined reference to FIG. 1, FIG. 2A, and FIG. 5, step 502 mayinclude folding canopy 150. Step 504 may include inserting the foldedcanopy 150 into storage pouch 130. Step 506 may include coupling thestorage pouch 130 to life raft 100 (see FIG. 1). Storage pouch 130 maybe coupled to life raft 100 by use of a snap buckle (see FIG. 4), hookand loop fasteners, hooks, toggles, tethers, and/or latches, among otherattachment features.

Benefits, other advantages, and solutions to problems have beendescribed herein with regard to specific embodiments. Furthermore, theconnecting lines shown in the various figures contained herein areintended to represent exemplary functional relationships and/or physicalcouplings between the various elements. It should be noted that manyalternative or additional functional relationships or physicalconnections may be present in a practical system. However, the benefits,advantages, solutions to problems, and any elements that may cause anybenefit, advantage, or solution to occur or become more pronounced arenot to be construed as critical, required, or essential features orelements of the disclosure.

The scope of the disclosure is accordingly to be limited by nothingother than the appended claims, in which reference to an element in thesingular is not intended to mean “one and only one” unless explicitly sostated, but rather “one or more.” It is to be understood that unlessspecifically stated otherwise, references to “a,” “an,” and/or “the” mayinclude one or more than one and that reference to an item in thesingular may also include the item in the plural. All ranges and ratiolimits disclosed herein may be combined.

Moreover, where a phrase similar to “at least one of A, B, and C” isused in the claims, it is intended that the phrase be interpreted tomean that A alone may be present in an embodiment, B alone may bepresent in an embodiment, C alone may be present in an embodiment, orthat any combination of the elements A, B and C may be present in asingle embodiment; for example, A and B, A and C, B and C, or A and Band C. Different cross-hatching is used throughout the figures to denotedifferent parts but not necessarily to denote the same or differentmaterials.

The steps recited in any of the method or process descriptions may beexecuted in any order and are not necessarily limited to the orderpresented. Furthermore, any reference to singular includes pluralembodiments, and any reference to more than one component or step mayinclude a singular embodiment or step. Elements and steps in the figuresare illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily beenrendered according to any particular sequence. For example, steps thatmay be performed concurrently or in different order are illustrated inthe figures to help to improve understanding of embodiments of thepresent disclosure.

Any reference to attached, fixed, connected or the like may includepermanent, removable, temporary, partial, full and/or any other possibleattachment option. Additionally, any reference to without contact (orsimilar phrases) may also include reduced contact or minimal contact.Surface shading lines may be used throughout the figures to denotedifferent parts or areas but not necessarily to denote the same ordifferent materials. In some cases, reference coordinates may bespecific to each figure.

Systems, methods and apparatus are provided herein. In the detaileddescription herein, references to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”,“various embodiments”, etc., indicate that the embodiment described mayinclude a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but everyembodiment may not necessarily include the particular feature,structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarilyreferring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature,structure, or characteristic is described in connection with anembodiment, it is submitted that it is within the knowledge of oneskilled in the art to affect such feature, structure, or characteristicin connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitlydescribed. After reading the description, it will be apparent to oneskilled in the relevant art(s) how to implement the disclosure inalternative embodiments.

Furthermore, no element, component, or method step in the presentdisclosure is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless ofwhether the element, component, or method step is explicitly recited inthe claims. No claim element is intended to invoke 35 U.S.C. 112(f)unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase “means for.” Asused herein, the terms “comprises”, “comprising”, or any other variationthereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that aprocess, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elementsdoes not include only those elements but may include other elements notexpressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, orapparatus.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of manufacturing a life raftarrangement, comprising: folding a canopy; inserting the canopy into astorage pouch; and coupling the storage pouch to a life raft, whereinthe canopy comprises a spring wire frame forming a first loop and asecond loop, the first loop of the spring wire frame circumscribing afirst panel of the canopy and the second loop of the spring wire framecircumscribing a second panel of the canopy.
 2. The method of claim 1,wherein the canopy is self-supported via the spring wire frame inresponse to being deployed.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the canopyis configured to be removably coupled to the life raft at either of afirst side of the life raft and a second side of the life raft, thefirst side being opposite the second side, such that the life raft isreversible.